Posts with the tag “2-corinthians”

2 Corinthians 4:18…we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.Most of us have sat in a classroom or attended a seminar where a presenter flashed an image on the screen and asked us to identify what we saw. Maybe you were shown a horse that, when turn...  Read More

AMBASSADORS IN BETWEEN2 Corinthians 5:17-20 (NLT) “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him... So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us.”Remember the middle ...  Read More

The Soul Becomes What It Beholds2 Corinthians 3:18 “We all… beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed.” Gregory of Nyssa wrote in the 4th century:“The soul becomes what it beholds.” Modern neuroscience agrees. What you repeatedly expose your mind to literally reshapes your neural pathways. Attention becomes architecture. This is why repetition is the mother of formation. The things yo...  Read More

Living with a holy perspective Romans 8:18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.2 Corinthians 4:16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we ...  Read More

Phase I ends, Phase II begins  Matthew 28:5-6 5 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lyingJohn 20: 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and...  Read More

A purpose, a battle, and a sacrifice  A Purpose - Why did Jesus come into our world in the first place?Matthew 1: 20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he w...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with, or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENING QUESTION(S)What is one of your favorite songs of worship, hymn or contemporary, and what is it about that song that speaks to and...  Read More

Suffering2 Corinthians 4:7-10We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked do...  Read More